DOC’s ‘most wanted’ weeds

DOCs Dirty Dozen Saloon was a hit at Fieldays. Now there’s a bounty out for DOCs most wanted weeds. Submit sightings of the Dirty Dozen weeds and you’ll be in to win $100.

Our Dirty Dozen Saloon at National Fieldays 2017. Photo: DOC

“Our aim for Fieldays was to raise awareness that weeds are an environmental problem” said Community Ranger, Danielle Hart. “Weeds are plants in the wrong place, and in the wrong place they can destroy native biodiversity and devastate landscapes.”

The hustle and bustle of Fieldays inside the DOC site. Photo: DOC

“Lots of our Dirty Dozen species are rather attractive garden escapees, and to the untrained eye they may seem harmless.”

“These wanted posters are a fun way to tune people in and encourage them to be on the lookout for wanted fugitives in their local area. The bounty adds a bit of incentive too!”.

The Dirty Dozen competition encourages reporting sightings of weed species through the iNaturalist app. Users capture a photo of a weed and can guess which of the dirty dozen species it is. Then experts from the online community will confirm the sighting within about 24 hours.

The sightings feed valuable information to scientists working to understand patterns of invasion and how uncontrolled weeds are destroying our native landscapes.